IUP Football 2019

[PSACfan1]

Re: IUP Football 2019

Then you come up with something. This is a problem that has been going on for 35 years on that campus.

I have no vested interested in IUP growing their brand on campus amongst their target demo. I was just saying your idea was poorly thought out and responded as to why I felt as such.

[PSACfan1]

Re: IUP Football 2019

One potential way to spruce up attendance would be to maybe shift the target demo to specifically females... where the ladies go the boys will follow at more than likely a 10:1 ratio (the ratio being 10 guys for every 1 lady)

[iupgroundhog]

Re: IUP Football 2019

The point is IUP24 and his friends tried. They thought outside the box. You can sh*t on everything he suggests but he has actually tried where the rest of us just talk.

I totally agree. My disagreements with him are on substantive issues. And that he thinks he's the only person ever who tried to promote IUP football. The truth is there have been a lot of involved people over many years.

[IUP24]

Re: IUP Football 2019

From the first time I heard about it I thought it was a dumb idea. That was not about sports it was a joke.

So kids came to the game. How many returned for other games?

What actually constitutes a good idea for you?

[iupgroundhog]

Re: IUP Football 2019

One potential way to spruce up attendance would be to maybe shift the target demo to specifically females... where the ladies go the boys will follow at more than likely a 10:1 ratio (the ratio being 10 guys for every 1 lady)

Bingo. Smartest comment I've seen.

[iupgroundhog]

Re: IUP Football 2019

What actually constitutes a good idea for you?

I've stated many on here. You just don't hear them.

[IUP24]

Re: IUP Football 2019

I totally agree. My disagreements with him are on substantive issues. And that he thinks he's the only person ever who tried to promote IUP football. The truth is there have been a lot of involved people over many years.

I never once ever suggested that.

You don't like that myself and BigIndians have repeatedly called out the "old guard" that has been viewed as being resistant to change.

[IUP24]

Re: IUP Football 2019

I've stated many on here. You just don't hear them.

Accuse me all you'd like.

You're in charge of marketing for the IUP athletic department. Tell me exactly how you increase student attendance and non-student attendance for football games.

[PSACfan1]

Re: IUP Football 2019

Bingo. Smartest comment I've seen.

Why thank you - please add rep. It's simply from what I've coined the "Frat Party" model. It's a pretty simple concept that is used by Frats and house parties alike all across the country to ensure great attendance numbers. Studies have shown it's actually transferable to several other areas of life. The IUP athletic program should be no different.

[IUP24]

Re: IUP Football 2019

One potential way to spruce up attendance would be to maybe shift the target demo to specifically females... where the ladies go the boys will follow at more than likely a 10:1 ratio (the ratio being 10 guys for every 1 lady)

That was something that we tried to accomplish. We tried to tap into the Greek life system to make that work, but it was tougher sledding than we really thought. Mostly every sorority is linked to a fraternity. Where one goes the other goes. We couldn't get enough of either to want to commit to make their Saturday one that essentially revolved around IUP football and that whole idea fell through.

While it's taboo and potentially career ending to say in 2019, sex appeal sells. When you look at some of the women at Saturday afternoon games in the south (UGA, LSU, Ole Miss, etc.), it's hard to find a bad looking girl on television. The whole "game day dress" thing down there... Yeah, it's different.

[PSACfan1]

Re: IUP Football 2019

That was something that we tried to accomplish. We tried to tap into the Greek life system to make that work, but it was tougher sledding than we really thought. Mostly every sorority is linked to a fraternity. Where one goes the other goes. We couldn't get enough of either to want to commit to make their Saturday one that essentially revolved around IUP football and that whole idea fell through.

While it's taboo and potentially career ending to say in 2019, sex appeal sells. When you look at some of the women at Saturday afternoon games in the south (UGA, LSU, Ole Miss, etc.), it's hard to find a bad looking girl on television. The whole "game day dress" thing down there... Yeah, it's different.

For sure, however you fellas could have pivoted to those not associated with Greek Life. I believe it would be tough as you said, those typically in Greek Life are pretty pretentious and are want to be trend setters.. however, with that you give the Greek Life folks the sense, not even the reality of FOMO and I'm sure you could have spun it. Obviously very easy to say in practice difficult to execute but desperate times call for desperate measures.

[IUP24]

Re: IUP Football 2019

For sure, however you fellas could have pivoted to those not associated with Greek Life. I believe it would be tough as you said, those typically in Greek Life are pretty pretentious and are want to be trend setters.. however, with that you give the Greek Life folks the sense, not even the reality of FOMO and I'm sure you could have spun it. Obviously very easy to say in practice difficult to execute but desperate times call for desperate measures.

The biggest thing that we did was get a girl involved in our marketing efforts. We had her when we went on the radio, and on the student TV shows, etc., to promote the games. It brought a female voice. It helped to a point. We weren't marketing majors though. So from a technique perspective in terms of how to approach that demographic, none of us really knew what more we could do.

We tried to get IUP to hire marketing students to do social media work for athletics. We presented to them that it would make for great student jobs or internships. They listened to us. Kind of... They hired two girls that passed out free t-shirts at Miller Stadium and the KCAC. That tells you all you need to know.

[PSACfan1]

Re: IUP Football 2019

The biggest thing that we did was get a girl involved in our marketing efforts. We had her when we went on the radio, and on the student TV shows, etc., to promote the games. It brought a female voice. It helped to a point. We weren't marketing majors though. So from a technique perspective in terms of how to approach that demographic, none of us really knew what more we could do.

We tried to get IUP to hire marketing students to do social media work for athletics. We presented to them that it would make for great student jobs or internships. They listened to us. Kind of... They hired two girls that passed out free t-shirts at Miller Stadium and the KCAC. That tells you all you need to know.

Well that just goes to show that either A) they don't care about the attendance numbers or B) they don't know what they are doing and/or are lazy.. I'm probably going to guess it's a little bit of both.

[IUPbigINDIANS]

Re: IUP Football 2019

They could play at 8am and serve pancakes in the parking lot. Temperatures may still be too cold but the free pancakes may just get the senior homes rocking.

[IUP24]

Re: IUP Football 2019

Well that just goes to show that either A) they don't care about the attendance numbers or B) they don't know what they are doing and/or are lazy.. I'm probably going to guess it's a little bit of both.

It's definitely a combination of a couple of factors.

What you need to understand is that IUP worked really hard to steamroll the "I Usually Party" reputation the school had decades ago. And with some less than stellar news coverage the past couple years, they aren't going to encourage athletic events to be "organized parties." We tried to explain to them that it's not about getting people into the game, it's about getting them to the parking lots or outside the stadium. They were resistant to events where alcohol or potential student debauchery might have occurred. We even provided them with ideas to create a more controlled setting:

1) Get a local establishment to sponsor a tented tailgate in the parking lot - serve food and alcohol. Charge a flat fee to get in, card people at the door so only 21+ can enter, and control the environment. Reasons why this could not happen:
A) IUP has a contract with Aramark and they could not work with outside vendors to serve food on IUP grounds for IUP sanctioned events.
B) IUP is a dry campus, therefore, they can't permit the sale or distribution of alcohol on campus.
C) They have an alumni reception in the KCAC prior to every home game and they felt that serves the purpose. The event is expensive, boring, and vanilla. They sell alcohol at this event, which makes me question their response that I listed in reason B.

2) Book some artist to have a pregame concert outside the stadium - use your contracted food vendor, Aramark, and have a fun time with food and live music outside the stadium. Reasons why this could not happen:
A) Entertainment bookings at IUP are done through either The Entertainment Network (TEN) or Global Marketing (the company that runs the KCAC). Essentially, IUP and the athletic department either can't through some bureaucratic red tape or doesn't want to spend any money in their limited budget booking an artist for a pregame concert.
B) We approached TEN, which is a student run organization with a university employee that heads it. They use their budget to book other events (homecoming concerts, comedy shows, etc.) and weren't interested in pursuing this.
C) Global expressed that they didn't have the budget to organize this and also successfully book/plan that year's events at the KCAC. They did bring in Jake Owen that spring, which was an awesome show (so no bad blood there).

3) Shut down food service in the dining hall for a game (preferably the first game of the season). Utilize Aramark to set up a large student tailgate/meal service during pregame. Make this be the location where students can use their meal plan for their "all you can eat" meal swipe. Cal used to do this all the time for their first home game of the season. It was called "Party in the Park." It worked great there. They didn't eliminate all food options, but they shut down the main dining hall. If you wanted to use your meal plan for an all you can eat meal option during a set time, you had to go to the stadium. If you showed up to eat, you were more inclined to stay for the game. Reasons why this could not happen:
A) Logistics of needing personnel and equipment to set up the event.
B) Logistics of needing the proper storage methods for food during the time of the event.

The reality is that there are many ways things can happen to be improved, but the powers to be at IUP hide behind red tape, contracts, and the "it's not my department" school of thought. FightingScot82 has discussed how a unionized environment has created this. And he's right. Organizing these things are no single person or team of employee's jobs. Because of that, very few employees are going to take the effort needed to improve something they aren't contractually obligated to care about. Groundhog believes that he and I have substantive disagreements, which is essentially saying that we have different views on what reality is. I see where he's coming from - to a point. Only his reality is that people don't show up because IUP has changed since the 1960s, 70s, 80s. He's not wrong about that, but that doesn't have to constitute the norm or create a defeatist attitude.

Adapt or die. My reality is that IUP doesn't do what's necessary because they don't want to. They need to adapt. Until they do, we'll continue to have this discussion.